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Iran’s oil ministry has announced it is issuing 29 new licences for the exploration and development of gas and oil fields, in a move apparently designed to wrest control of the industry away from the National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC). With an undecided election just around the corner, the establishment is keen to strengthen its grip on an industry which has historically been used by interest groups seeking political power. 


A previously unknown branch of Islamic State (IS, or Daesh) claimed responsibility on 16 October for the murder of five and wounding of nine Shia worshippers at a mosque in the Saihat neighbourhood between Al-Qatif and Damman in Eastern Province’s main urban area. In an online statement, the so-called Bahrain Province group claimed it had sent gunman Shuja Al-Dosari to kill what it derogatorily called “rafida” (IS-speak for those who reject the Sunni way) as they completed their “polytheist rituals”, in reality Friday prayers. Bahrain Province is the third self-proclaimed branch of IS to emerge this year in the Arabian Peninsula.

French major Total has signed an agreement with Qatar Petroleum (QP) to take a 30% interest in the concession for the offshore Al-Shaheen oil field. The deal is for 25 years, starting from 14 July 2017. The remaining 70% of the concession will be held by QP. Total will take over from Denmark’s Maersk Oil, which has held the contract until now. Maersk warned investors last year that it was in danger of losing out, after QP decided to invite other companies to bid for the contract.

Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Zayed Al-Nahyan (MBZ) had talks in Cairo with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi on 9 June. The UAE continues to be a major supporter of Egypt, financially and politically. Sisi’s first visit to the Gulf after seizing power from Mohammed Morsi was to the UAE, in March 2014 (it was his second foreign visit, the first having been to Russia the previous month), not long before he declared he would be standing for president.

Sheikh Joaan Bin Hamad’s four-year-old filly Treve won the Qatar-sponsored Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe for the second year running on 5 October. There had been some doubts as to whether Treve was still in contention, but jockey Thierry Jarnet (riding instead of Sheikh Joaan’s principal jockey Frankie Dettori, at the trainer’s request) secured the win for Sheikh Joaan’s Al-Shaqab racing. The race at Longchamp, which Qatar is sponsoring until 2022, is the most richly rewarded turf race in the world, with prize money of €5m ($6.4m) for the main race.

The hand of Tehran – and its formidable IRGC – reaches far into the Gulf states, throwing up questions of allegiance and fears of a US or Israeli-orchestrated military strike. Each state has a different experience, and the region is divided over how to deal with subversive activities within and across its borders

The Qatar Global Security and Stability Conference’s line-up was only unveiled on the morning of the event, but was more varied than many had expected. Those on stage included well-known critics of Qatar such as former Aljazeera Media Network correspondent Mohammed Fahmy and friends of Saudi Arabia such as Daniel Kawczynski MP, who was joined on stage by fellow Conservative Party politicians Roger Evans and Iain Duncan Smith. Alan Mendoza, founder of right-wing London think-tank the Henry Jackson Society, also took part.

Towering over the London skyline, the gleam of the Shard can be seen for miles around. When Western Europe’s tallest building, a 310 metre (1,016ft) vertical city of offices, restaurants, apartments and luxury hotel rooms, is officially inaugurated on 5 July, Britons can expect a spectacle: lasers and searchlights will striate the night sky as the London Philharmonic thrashes out the dramatic crescendos of Aaron Copland’s Fanfare for the Common Man.

Yemeni deputy finance minister Jalal Yaqoub took the spotlight during his visit to London for the Royal Institute of International Affairs’ Yemen Forum on 1 November. Giving interviews to major news outlets, including The Financial Times, Reuters and CNN,

France’s opening of its new 400-600 personnel base in Abu Dhabi marks a considerable step forward to French commitment to the UAE and wider GCC. The opening of the base on 28 May was marked by high-level French diplomatic engagement, including UAE President Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, French President Nicolas Sarkozy and a range of other senior diplomats and military officials.

Various princes have begun returning to Saudi Arabia at the conclusion of their summer holidays, including several who had been staying in Morocco with Crown Prince Sultan.

Crown Prince Salman Bin Abdelaziz returned to the kingdom on 16 March following a month-long trip. On 15 February, he went to Pakistan for a three-day visit and then to Japan for a week-long round of meetings, including with Emperor Akihito . Salman then travelled to India on 26 February, and the Maldives two days later. Most recently, he was in China, arriving on 12 March for a four-day state visit. He signed various memorandums of understanding and held talks with Chinese President Xin Jinping, Premier Li Keqiang and defence minister General Chang Wanquan.

Iraq’s Kurdish leadership says it has had enough of Iraq’s political games, accusing Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki of doing whatever he can to stymie Kurdish progress. The rift has left the Kurds looking increasingly isolated

Crown Prince Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmed Al-Jaber Al-Sabah left the United States late on 26 April after his latest medical check-up

Confronted with another ratcheting up of international and regional pressure, Tehran has a number of proxy conflicts in which it can make life uncomfortable for its enemies – and President Ahmadinejad and his allies seem determined to flex their muscles over neighbouring Iraq as the US prepares for its end-year military withdrawal